Statement on Women in Leadership at SAP

September 30, 2015 by SAP News

SAP has been working to optimize its workforce diversity for many years and we strongly believe that more leadership positions should be held by women.

On our 18-member Supervisory Board, there are four gifted and experienced women: Anja Feldmann, Gesche Joost, Margret Klein-Magar and Christine Regitz. We believe a quota system for board seats can only be one of many levers we must use to lift the number of leadership positions held by women. It is our intention that by 2017, our Executive Board should have at least one woman member. Ingrid-Helen Arnold, our CIO, has been active on our Global Managing Board since 2014.

Of all leadership positions at SAP, 23 percent are now held by women. That represents a five percentage-point increase since 2011. We want to get to 25 percent by 2017. A broad range of general support plus targeted initiatives for women and by women are absolutely essential to raise the number of top management jobs that women hold.

We take a wide view, looking at every aspect of the whole picture. Aside from addressing leadership as such, our approach includes excellence in talent management, health management, and childcare facilities.